Bengals and Dogs
A lot of people ask me if bengals will get along with dogs. Like with most other things it will depend on the socialization and age of the cat. If bengals are raised around dogs they will typically be okay with dogs in their new home, but just like it takes them time to warm up to new people it will take them time to get used to new dogs as well. We here at strayt cats have two dogs and so our kittens are raised around our dogs and some of the kittens take to the dogs better than others. If there are kittens here that will not get used to our dogs we typically try and find homes for them that do not have dogs. Other kittens love the dogs. Most often if a kitten comes into the home between 12-16wks of age they WILL get used to living with dogs as the kittens are still young enough at this time to learn to trust dogs. I think the most important thing you can do when bringing a kitten into a home with dogs is to make sure you trust your dog around cats - as most cats will not be okay with being chased around (like most dogs like to do) this teaches the cat/kitten that they should fear dogs and the stress of this may cause behavioral issues once the cat matures.
Bengals - where did they come from?
The first registered bengal as we know it today was created by a woman named Jean Mill. Jean had a female asian leopard cat and thinking she was lonely place a domestic tom in there with her which resulted in a kitten. This was in the 1980's. Jean eventually bred these first initial hybrids out into domestics to get our beloved SBT bengal and was the first to register the bengal with TICA as an experimental breed.
Bengals are created by crossing the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) into domestic cats. The first initail crosses into domestics were usually to egyptian maus or amerian short hairs. Though now when people cross ALCs into domestics they use SBT bengals as the "domestic."
Bengals are created by crossing the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) into domestic cats. The first initail crosses into domestics were usually to egyptian maus or amerian short hairs. Though now when people cross ALCs into domestics they use SBT bengals as the "domestic."
Bengals F1-SBT what does it mean?
F1 means the first "filial" cross between an SBT bengal and an Asian Leopard Cat. So when you see something that says "F1 bengal" it means this cat had an ALC parent.
F2 is the second "filial" cross - which means it had an ALC grand parent and is the result of breeding an F1 bengal to an SBT bengal.
F3 is the third "filial" cross - which means it had an ALC great grand parent and is the result of breeding an F2 bengal to an SBT bengal.
F4 the fourth "filial" cross of an F3 bengal into an SBT bengal results in producing SBT bengals. SBT stands for stud book tradition, this means that a bengal is at least four generations removed from the asian leopard cat. SBT bengals can be shown at cat shows and being this far removed from wild ancestry are looked apoun as "domestic" cats.
Once bengals are past "F4" they are just called bengals or SBT bengals.
All male bengals are sterile until the F4 generation or later. Therefore all F1-F3 crosses need to be made using female early generation bengals and SBT males.
You will see "EG" when people are describing their cats - this means that the cats are F1-F3 or "early generation".
Sometimes you will see "HC" when people are describing their cats, what this means is that the cat has a "high content" of wild blood. Most high content exotic cats are created by breeding F1-F3 females back to the asian leopard cat - this creates a "high content" of wild blood.
F2 is the second "filial" cross - which means it had an ALC grand parent and is the result of breeding an F1 bengal to an SBT bengal.
F3 is the third "filial" cross - which means it had an ALC great grand parent and is the result of breeding an F2 bengal to an SBT bengal.
F4 the fourth "filial" cross of an F3 bengal into an SBT bengal results in producing SBT bengals. SBT stands for stud book tradition, this means that a bengal is at least four generations removed from the asian leopard cat. SBT bengals can be shown at cat shows and being this far removed from wild ancestry are looked apoun as "domestic" cats.
Once bengals are past "F4" they are just called bengals or SBT bengals.
All male bengals are sterile until the F4 generation or later. Therefore all F1-F3 crosses need to be made using female early generation bengals and SBT males.
You will see "EG" when people are describing their cats - this means that the cats are F1-F3 or "early generation".
Sometimes you will see "HC" when people are describing their cats, what this means is that the cat has a "high content" of wild blood. Most high content exotic cats are created by breeding F1-F3 females back to the asian leopard cat - this creates a "high content" of wild blood.
Bengals, are they right for you?
We here at Strayt Cats Cattery have been working with exotic cats for 10+ years. They are amazing little creatures and can make the most wonderful of companions for the right people but are not a breed for every household. Here are few things you will want to consider when bringing a bengal into your home
Will you have enough time for your new kitten?
Bengals like to be with their family, if you work 8-10hr days and are going to be leaving your cat at home bengals are probably not the right choice for you, as they can become depressed or develop behavior issues if left alone for long periods of time. They crave your attention and will make it known if they are unhappy!
Do you have enough money to care for you kitten long term?
Bengals require special high quality cat food, with their wild ancestry they require a grain-free diet. Food costs alone range about $60 a month to feed one cat. Is that something that you can work into your budget to maintain their over all health and happiness? Do you have money saved up incase of emergency vet care? Bengals are very smart and with their curiosity they often get themselves into trouble eating things they're not supposed to or getting them selves into situations where they will get hurt. It is good to have atleast $1000 saved up for emergency situations which may arrise.
How will your new cat get along with exsisting animals?
Bengals have a high prey drive and will try and eat small animals, so if you have smaller animals in the house such as rabbits, mice, rats, sugar gliders, flying squirrels, small birds or other small rodents it may not be wise to bring a bengal into your home unless your small animals are kept in a seperate room. Like mentioned above they are SMART, they are problem solvers and will eventually figure out how to get at said little critter given enough time. To avoid tradgedy please think of these things. Do you have already exsisting dominant cats in the household? Bengals tend to want to be "dominant" meaning they will be at the top of the pecking order and may not get along well with exsisting dominant felines of the house which can result in behavioral issues.
Will you love your bengal no matter what?
I find a lot of people who go out to adopt exotic cats have some kind of fantasy about what it's going to be like. While it may end up being just that way - it also may end up being drastically different from the way you imagined. Every cat is different, every one has it's own unique personality; there is no way of saying exactly how your cat will turn out once fully grown. Bengal cats can be very loving companions but they also need respect and understanding, there are behavioral issues which can arrise. Are you willing to deal with them if they do? Such as spraying/peeing out of the litter box, agression to new people/new animals, getting into things they shouldn't (into cupboards, up on shelves, into knick knacks etc. <----- these things are a given most bengals will do them.) Not all bengals like to walk on a harness or ride in cars, not all bengals like to play in water and be outside the home with their people. So while you may have heard that bengals "like" all of these things and invision yourself doing all of these things with your cat you also have to realise it may not be like that for you and your cat. A lot of bengals will want your attention when they want it (typical cat) and will show their displeasure if they're picked up or restrained against their will. So are you quite ready to love your new baby no matter how it acts and respect it for who it is not what you wanted it to be?
Will you have enough time for your new kitten?
Bengals like to be with their family, if you work 8-10hr days and are going to be leaving your cat at home bengals are probably not the right choice for you, as they can become depressed or develop behavior issues if left alone for long periods of time. They crave your attention and will make it known if they are unhappy!
Do you have enough money to care for you kitten long term?
Bengals require special high quality cat food, with their wild ancestry they require a grain-free diet. Food costs alone range about $60 a month to feed one cat. Is that something that you can work into your budget to maintain their over all health and happiness? Do you have money saved up incase of emergency vet care? Bengals are very smart and with their curiosity they often get themselves into trouble eating things they're not supposed to or getting them selves into situations where they will get hurt. It is good to have atleast $1000 saved up for emergency situations which may arrise.
How will your new cat get along with exsisting animals?
Bengals have a high prey drive and will try and eat small animals, so if you have smaller animals in the house such as rabbits, mice, rats, sugar gliders, flying squirrels, small birds or other small rodents it may not be wise to bring a bengal into your home unless your small animals are kept in a seperate room. Like mentioned above they are SMART, they are problem solvers and will eventually figure out how to get at said little critter given enough time. To avoid tradgedy please think of these things. Do you have already exsisting dominant cats in the household? Bengals tend to want to be "dominant" meaning they will be at the top of the pecking order and may not get along well with exsisting dominant felines of the house which can result in behavioral issues.
Will you love your bengal no matter what?
I find a lot of people who go out to adopt exotic cats have some kind of fantasy about what it's going to be like. While it may end up being just that way - it also may end up being drastically different from the way you imagined. Every cat is different, every one has it's own unique personality; there is no way of saying exactly how your cat will turn out once fully grown. Bengal cats can be very loving companions but they also need respect and understanding, there are behavioral issues which can arrise. Are you willing to deal with them if they do? Such as spraying/peeing out of the litter box, agression to new people/new animals, getting into things they shouldn't (into cupboards, up on shelves, into knick knacks etc. <----- these things are a given most bengals will do them.) Not all bengals like to walk on a harness or ride in cars, not all bengals like to play in water and be outside the home with their people. So while you may have heard that bengals "like" all of these things and invision yourself doing all of these things with your cat you also have to realise it may not be like that for you and your cat. A lot of bengals will want your attention when they want it (typical cat) and will show their displeasure if they're picked up or restrained against their will. So are you quite ready to love your new baby no matter how it acts and respect it for who it is not what you wanted it to be?
Bengals and water
Some bengals do indeed like water and some don't. You kind of never know. I have two bengals that really like water - the others not so much. I have never owned an SBT bengal that likes to be completely submerged in water, or that enjoys swimming; but they do enjoy splashing in their water dishes or in shallow water in the bath tub. Antoinette enjoys playing in the toilet so we have learned to keep all of our toilet seats down, otherwise I am left with a nasty 4ft radius of toilet water all around the toilet on the bathroom floor from her splashing adventure. You will learn weather or not your bengal likes water in time, if you catch them splashing in their water dish, a sink of dish water or in my case the toilet - then you'll know but until then I wouldn't push the subject on them as it may frighten them if they don't come to it on their own.
Bengals and leashes
Bengals need to be started on a harness and leash young and it needs to be practiced with them continuously through thier life to keep them comfortable with it.